Senate district lines for county change
By Melinda Harrell
Published in News on August 22, 2017 5:50 AM
N.C. Sen. Don Davis
N.C. Sen. Louis Pate
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Pictured is the proposed N.C. Senate map which would remove Wayne County from District 5.
The N.C. Senate released its new district map proposal Sunday evening with Wayne County potentially losing Sen. Don Davis, D-Dist. 5, as a representative.
District 5, which currently includes approximately half of Pitt County in its territory, all of Greene County and a portion of Wayne County, will be reduced to encompassing all of Pitt and Greene counties only.
Davis said Wayne County has played a "significant role throughout" his life.
"With my family being from Goldsboro, this community has helped shape me into the person I am today," Davis said.
"I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to so many across the county for their love and support over the years. I am most appreciative for the opportunity to serve the county in the N.C. Senate. My sole desire Is to give back to the community that has give so much to me."
Removing the county from District 5 will also effectively create a complete Republican representation of the county in the Senate.
The proposed map puts all of Wayne and Lenoir counties into District 7, represented by Sen. Louis Pate, a Republican from Mount Olive.
The current district lines have the majority of Wayne County inside District 7 along with much of Lenoir County and portions of Pitt County.
Pate said he is "enthusiastic" about the way the proposed maps are districted. He also said there may be resistance to the proposed map, and if that is the case, the districts are subject to change again.
"I was a state representative before I went into the Senate, and I represented all of Wayne County then," Pate said.
"I know a lot of people around Wayne County and hope it doesn't disappoint too many people that much."
The maps are going to be the subject of a public hearing held today throughout the state, as well as a vote by the redistricting committee on the state level and the entire General Assembly.
There will be a public hearing in Raleigh at the legislative building.
Other sites around the state include:
*Central Piedmont Community College Charlotte (Hall Building, rooms 215/216), 1112 Charlottetowne Ave., Charlotte.
*Fayetteville Technical Community College, 2817 Fort Bragg Road (general classroom building, room 108)
*Caldwell Community College, 2855 Hickory Blvd. (Building B, room 104), Hudson.
*Guilford Technical Community College, Jamestown campus, 601 E. Main St. Medline (Campus Center, room 360), Jamestown.
Speakers will have up to three minutes to make a comment. Registration for speaking will begin at 3 p.m. at each hearing site, and will close at 6:30 p.m.
For people unable to make the public hearings in person, they can go to http://www.ncleg.net/applications/rfc/Redistricting.aspx?id=23 and submit a public comment on the new map proposal.
Should the maps pass, it will also have the possibility of being under scrutiny by a federal three-judge panel.
Davis said he intends to carry on representing eastern North Carolina as a whole.
"As we prepare to move forward with redistricting, I plan to continue working hard to see all efforts through and be a steady voice for issues we have advocated," Davis said.
"I will continue to be a champion for Wayne County, our military families, veterans and Eastern North Carolina. Regardless of what the future holds I do not plan to be a stranger."